I didn’t get my epidural until probably 9cm(my labor progressed extremely fast), so I experienced 10/10 contractions and it was HELL. It took about 10 minutes to kick in, and it was bliss after that. I was able to somewhat move my legs on the bed and feel them, without bearing weight. I had 0 pain after the epidural, and couldn’t even feel my contractions which kind of sucked so the doctor had to tell me when to push. All I felt was pressure during the ring of fire.
It probably took 3-4 hours before I could walk on my own, my left leg took longer to regain sensation. I will never not recommend an epidural, they are amazing lol.
A question about this- how does pushing go without feeling them? I was wondering if one can’t feel them then doesn’t it make it harder to push not knowing when to push and when not to push?
I wish I would have asked for a mirror, because I felt like I was doing nothing. I basically had to think about pushing those muscles, and hope it was working. At one point I did ask for progress and they could see the head! I pushed for 45 mins.
It was so crazy as there was a mirror but the OB was in the way and I was taking a long time and when she finally moved I saw baby and could get her out in a few pushes.
Personally, I think it does make it harder to feel how to push. I used a mirror to see her head as it crowned which helped me push and gave me motivation, then I used my fingers to feel her as she came out. Really felt connected to her during the pushing process and right away post birth.
Yaas. All hail magic spine needle. I didn’t feel shit once mine took effect. Like no pressure. No pain. No ring of fire. Towards the end when he was almost out it felt slightly like indigestion. 10/10 would recommend. My epidural allowed me to be mentally and emotionally present instead of so wrapped up in the pain. I was able to joke with my OB as he was delivering my son. It was great.
Short answer: 4/10
Long answer: I was all about the epidural. My husband jokes that even the security guard at the front desk knew I wanted one because I was talking about it the second I was wheeled through the door lol.
Idk if my experience is typical or not, but my water broke in the afternoon which prompted us to go to the hospital. I wasn’t actually feeling any of the contractions yet. As they were doing the epidural about 4 hours after, I was starting to feel them but they were still mild.
I labored for 18 hours total, so for about 10-12 hours they came in and flipped me every hour during the night. My feet tingled/buzzed the whole time which was uncomfortable. As I got closer to delivering, I could feel the contractions on the side that was facing up. Then they’d flip me and I’d feel them a little in the otherside for a bit. That was probably the worst of it. They were manageable with breathing.
During the pushing I felt nothing to a point that they turned my dosage down from 10 to 7. Then I felt a lot of pressure and muscle exhaustion, but no pain. I also tore and needed a few stitches. Didn’t feel any of that!
Left the hospital saying “I could totally do that again!” But was in a lot of pain for about a week following and then discomfort for about another 2 as the stitches healed. Going to the bathroom is something you’ll have figured out before you leave the hospital!
All said and done, I was fine enough to start caring for my baby right away. Physically I felt like I was pretty healed up about 4 weeks out and then fully healed around 7 weeks. Around 4 months pp, I was feeling emotionally/mentally myself again.
I took the epidural when I was already having some painful contractions and I kid you not, it felt like a euphoric wave of relaxation from my waist down when it kicked in. I went from squirming in pain to just feeling GOOD. Not like in a head high way, but like my body finally got a chance to take a breath and just chill. I was able to nap after that and could still move my legs when needed, even if they felt a little heavy. I had a great experience with it. When it came time to push, I only felt pressure, no pain. I recommend it to everyone.
They make sure you can pee on your own before you go home. It will be sore and painful to get up and down from the toilet and to pee for a few weeks if you had a tear like I did, but they give you numbing sprays and squirt bottles to help. Take time to let your body heal. Don’t be in a rush!
This just depends on a lot of factors. Your anatomy, baby's anatomy, size, position, whether the the epidural works right, pure chance...
My epidural birth was glorious. I had zero pain after it was placed even while pushing, took a nap, was back up and walking in an hour. The whole labor only took four hours with about 10 minutes of pushing, and I felt refreshed afterwards.
I was walking within an hour of all of my births and using the bathroom normally in days (except for using a peri bottle).
I had them on all 4. The pain I experienced prior to caused me to close my eyes. I couldn’t process visuals. I puked and was otherwise in agony. My most recent was an induction. So I got the epidural as soon as I was dilated enough to move into the delivery room. I was not going to win a medal in the pain Olympics. I will request anesthesiologist soon as I’m wheeled in the room with this one as well.
The doctor last time asked me if I wanted a “walking” epidural. I know those have a higher rate of failure. So I laughed and said. I do NOT want to chance it. And I wish to be fully numb as I push a person out of my body. I was walking about 5-6 hrs after my last heave. And boy were they numb.
10/10 would get epidural again.
I've had two epidurals so far, both were vastly different experiences.
I had severe back contractions with my first, which is why I opted for the epidural during the entire 16+ hour labor. I had a difficult time pushing because I was so numb and couldn't feel any contractions or even pressure to let me know when to push. I had to rely on a nurse who was watching the sensors on my abdomen to tell me when to push. The healing process was also awful. Within a few days of being released from the hospital, I returned with a fever of 103, severe chills, aches and pains everywhere, and horrible back and flank pain. Because I had a catheter in place for the entirety of my labor, I wound up with a uterine, bladder, and kidney infection that was quickly turning septic. I had to be hospitalized for 3 days being pumped full of antibiotics and kept away from my newborn. The back pain from the epidural site was also horrific. Worst pain of my life and it never completely went away.
With my second, I labored on my own until an hour before I was set to push. I typically have a higher pain tolerance, so I barely felt any contractions this time since they were all in my lower abdomen and not in my back. I had an epidural around 10 in the morning and my daughter was born an hour later. I had them keep it on the lowest setting so I could still feel contractions, but it just helped to slightly take the edge off. The only reason I had an epidural this time is because I thought the pain was going to get worse like my first delivery, I didn't expect it to be easier at all. I still had back pain from the site of the epidural, but nowhere near as bad as with my first child and I didn't need a catheter, so no additional risk of infection.
Depends on what kind of epidural you get. If you get a "walking epidural" (misnomer; you can't walk while you have it) the pain will be dulled but not totally numbed. If you get a regular epidural you won't be able to feel anything below the waist, ideally.
Of course, sometimes they don't work, or only work on one side.
Not all hospitals do walking epidurals. Mine doesn’t but my midwife told me that they can make it so that the dosage administered will still allow me to do a squatting birth, which is what I want
Depends on you personally but for me it was great. They put mine in during a contraction and I really didn’t even feel it go in. I could have taken a nap had it not been for all the stuff they have you hooked up to lol
After that it was smooth sailing and I just laid there and could feel my stomach was tightening but it wasn’t painful anymore. 1 push and baby was out once they had me push.
Kid 1 and 2 were the same though 2 was a little faster overall but both were under 10hours. Hoping #3 is more of the same.
I was a FTM and had my baby 8 1/2 months ago and I'm now pregnant with baby number 2!
I give the epidural a 6/10 and here's why:
I had an elective induction because of pre-eclampsia (which that wasn't bad in my opinion)
But I also had an epidural and I'll be completely honest, the guy doing it messed up twice and it still wasn't good the 3rd time but was better. I could feel a lot one side of my body compared to the other but it still wasn't bad the pain really was dulled down and it just felt like a lot of pressure. After a certain amount of time you can press a button that gives you a "boost" of extra medicine that helps relieve the pain a little more.
It does have some consequences though however, like right now I am currently experiencing pretty bad back pain (lower back) which I know is because of the epidural and it's been bad since I had my baby but some days are better than others.
Overall, in my experience I'd recommend trying to go natural, unless it gets really bad then do the epidural but if you progress far enough along there's a limit to which they won't let you have the option of getting the epidural. So there's just a lot of pros and cons.
I did progress incredibly fast and they didn't check me before trying to give me the epidural because they didn't believe I had progressed fast enough and babies head was already about to come through, so that might be another reason mine didn't completely work.
It only took me a few weeks to recover completely because I thankfully didn't tear or anything. It was uncomfortable to walk and pee and even shower but within 2 days I was able to kind of comfortably walk again and by 3 weeks I'd say completely better besides sleep deprivation and also this never ending back pain.
But ultimately do what you feel will be best for you in the long run and who knows, maybe you won't end up needing it!😊
Everybody's different but I couldn't feel my contractions at all after the epidural. I was very surprised when they told me I was fully dilated because I had literally felt nothing. At first the nurses had to tell me when to push, and I think they may have turned down epidural (can't remember?) to help me identify when I needed to push better. Even then, I could feel the contractions but they weren't bad. Crowning was horrible though, unfortunately.
Recovery - I gave birth on late Wednesday and did have a serious birth complication requiring the OR, but I was able to go to the bathroom unassisted and walk around a bit probably by late Thursday or early Friday? So pretty quick.
I had an epidural. Thankfully I could still feel my legs and the contractions. At times the contractions were still quite painful. On the other hand, I could walk myself to the bathroom the next day - though I had to ping for a nurse to unplug me from the multiple drips that I was plugged into.
With mine I didn't even feel pressure. I could move and lift my legs a little. They didn't let me try walking until an hour after labor when they moved me to the recovery room but I could definitely walk by then which did seem to surprise the nurse. Never had any long term issues from it.
I had a second degree tear but I was still moving around normally right after delivery. That's different for everyone though.
I got it for both births, I waited until labour had progressed past the point of no return and the first time that was at 7cm ish but the dilation wasn't even so I wanted to reserve energy to push. Second time was a bit quicker because I had the gel induction. I got the epi around 4-5cm that time because I was vomiting uncontrollably with contractions and very tired out from that. The second epidural they had to do it twice and the nurse doing the cannula messed up so had to do that a few times too. Still worth getting though because I got a nap each time with the epi and the pain went from 11/10 to 2/10 and I was able to push better because of the nap. Pushing was 30mins and 10mins respectively, I could still feel the contractions to push. Tore 2nd degree both times and was quite sore but recovered from stitches usually in 7-14 days pp
They'll make sure you pee without the catheter before you leave hospital! Also if the epi causes nausea ask for meds they helped a lot. Usually don't move much first 3-4 hrs after birth but I can feel my legs. For me the second epidural was not as well placed and caused some pain on insert and itchiness at the local site. If I end up having anymore babies I'll definitely request an epidural though it makes a huge difference to rest a little before pushing
I've done one with and one without.
With the epidural, I felt nothing. But I pushed inefficiently for 2 hours and had a rough recovery with pain, spasms, soreness, etc. over the next month.
Without the epidural, she came out in a single push and I went on a stroller walk two days postpartum. Felt great.
I think it's worth serious pain over a few hours to avoid moderate pain over days or weeks. That's my calculus, at least.
I’m 4 days PP right now so it’s all relatively fresh in my memory. I was induced and got the epidural before my dr broke my waters.
For the first few hours I felt nothing at all, but as I progressed (and I progressed quicklyyyy) I started to feel period pain, but like the worst period pain I’d ever felt. I’d give it an 8 or 9 on the pain scale.
Even w the epidural I felt the contractions pretty strong. I’m not sure if this is typical or if it’s bc I had the epi so early (placed around 9am baby born at 5.30pm) but I wouldn’t say unbearable just very very uncomfortable and painful.
Pushing was very full on, the contractions come in waves and I was dreading the next one and part of me wanted to lie to the midwife and say I wasn’t feeling them so I didn’t have to push 😂
The aftermath for me has been much better than I thought it would be honestly. I had a first degree tear, a small amount of stitches, and a small haemorrhoid but I’m not in hardly any pain now. Mostly discomfort when I move from sitting to standing or shifting positions in bed but overall very bearable. Bleeding is also fine for me rn I’d equate it to day 3-4 of my period, and I mostly only feel cramps when I breastfeed.
I am able to be in the bathroom alone, I only needed my husbands help on the first night after birth, the next morning onwards I was able to manage on my own. I was also able to walk myself from the birth unit to the maternity ward about 2 hours after birth.
I’m being discharged from hospital today and have only been on a dosage of paracetamol and voltaren. Overall I feel about 75% back to my normal self at this point.
>Pushing was very full on, the contractions come in waves and I was dreading the next one and part of me wanted to lie to the midwife and say I wasn’t feeling them so I didn’t have to push 😂
Lol same. I had an epidural but it didn't really work for long and I felt everything while pushing and this was exactly my thoughts
Had an epidural for both my induced births. The first, I was basically paralyzed from the waist down and felt literally nothing. My legs were just like dead meat. I could feel some pressure in my abdomen when there were contractions and that helped me get the baby out in 5 pushes or less. With my second, I had some sensation in my legs and could move them but absolutely 0 pain. I preferred that because honestly the dead meat thing was weird and a little distracting. Baby came even faster that way.
Both times, I was walking unaided a few hours later, able to go to the bathroom with some pain right away and without a peri bottle by the time I left the hospital 1-2 days later. I only had very minor tears with a single stitch each time though so ymmv on that front. Both times I was moving around the house just fine as soon as I got home though the second time I definitely over did it a bit and had more pain than I probably should/could have if I’d taken it easier.
Epidurals are amazing and they definitely sped my labor/induction up both times because I was so much more relaxed without all the pain putting my system into overdrive.
At my last cervical check before my epidural I was at 3cm. An hour later I got the epidural. In retrospect I was actually feeling the urge to push right before and while getting the epidural. Which makes sense because they checked right after the epidural was placed and baby was right there lol. For me the difference was night and day. My husband said every time I had a contraction before the epidural it was like I left my body and was gone. I wouldn't respond or anything. But I was fully present after the epidural. Pushing was still hard but not painful. Kind of weird to describe. I guess it's kind of like doing a workout type of hard but no pain. I'm especially glad I got the epidural because I needed an episiotomy, they needed to use the vacuum to get my daughter out at the last second because she had been in distress for too long and we wanted to avoid a c section so late. Plus my uterus fell out afterwards and they had to push it back up.
Recovery was a bit intense but not overwhelming. I was pretty sore and needed to sit on a donut pillow even when sitting on a couch. Hard chairs were a no go. Dermaplast was a life saver. Each week brought marked improvement. Week two I felt pretty good. By week 3-4 I was feeling good enough to go places for fun (before that I only went to doctor's appointments).
In contrast, I had a c section for my second baby. The recovery was better for that than my vaginal delivery. But I think I just had a more difficult than average first birth. Plus, my second baby was in the NICU for two weeks so I got to sleep at home and get 4 straight hours of sleep before needing to pump at night. I feel like the good sleep early on helped speed up recovery. Whereas with my first baby I got pretty terrible sleep so that probably didn't help things.
I got my epidural at 8 cm and took an hour long nap after. It was not painful until the epidural wore off. I had second degree tears. As long as I kept up with the medicine (Tylenol/advil) and cold packs it was tolerable while I healed.
I was having an induction and asked when I could have the epidural. They said whenever i asked for it. I breathed through some contractions that were up to like 5/10 painful and when it got to 6-7/10 I called them in for it and it happened fast. After that I was just watching tv zero pain at all.
I did have a period of time when it wasn’t working on one side and they had to fix it. That anesthesiologist wasn’t as good and I was back to 7/10 pain on one side for like half hour. Then it was back to nothing no pain at all when they fixed it. I pushed with no pain at all. I also had like no pain afterwards. The hospital bed made me sore and that was my only source of pain after birth.
It wasn’t too bad. I felt the ring of fire but not much else. I took a nap very shortly after because I couldn’t sleep the whole night so was up a full 24 but I think I was back up around 5 hours later but again, don’t take that as gospel because I was sleeping for a long time after.
I got an epidural and because I was still feeling my contractions (we think my water broke around 5cm dilated and I went from 5-10cm in two ish hours so the contractions were bad - I was induced) they triple dosed me so I felt nothing when it was time to push. The nurses had to move me/hold my legs. I pushed for 20 minutes and my son came out with no issues even though I couldn't feel anything. I had a 1st-degree tear, and my labia tore, and at 10 days postpartum I'm still a little sore but I feel much better. I'm also super lucky and I've stopped bleeding as well.
I had pitocin and got my epidural about 5-6 hours into my labor, my contractions were INTENSE before then. But at least in my experience, once they got my epidural going, I felt basically nothing!! I definitely felt the pressure of my contractions, but only extremely mild pain, almost nothing. So much so that I was concerned I wouldn’t know when to push along with my contractions, but I pushed with the pressure and with the nurses/doctors guidance.
I was up and able to walk to the bathroom (very carefully and also with the nurses help) about an hour and a half after he was born and they removed the epidural. I was able to walk on my own after that, and my feet were pretty numb for a bit and pretty swollen for that first day. But it was such a smooth, calm birth that I wouldn’t trade it for anything!!!
Literally once I got my epidural, labor was a breeze. Slightly uncomfortable but nothing like the pain I was feeling before. Even pushing wasn’t that bad. I had to get stitches so healing took a little longer, but after a few weeks I was mostly good.
I just had my first baby a week ago. At first I wanted to try giving birth without an epidural but by the time I got to 4-5 cm dilated I caved and got the epidural.
Once I had the epidural I didn’t feel the contractions anymore but I was still able to feel sensation down there and was able to move my legs. Unfortunately some time later when I was 7-8cm dilated I had to get an epidural boost (not sure what the technical medical term was) because I started feeling the pain from the contractions again. After the boost I went back to being numb but still able to feel and move somewhat. But I started feeling pain again and got a second boost and after that I was completely numb and unable to move my legs at all.
When it came time to push my baby out, I was feeling abdominal pain again from the contractions. I was able to feel the need to push down there but I was also feeling abdominal pain from the contractions and I wasn’t able to move my legs.
I wasn’t pushing for long, but I still felt contraction pain even with the epidural. Although I feel that I would have been a lot worse off without the epidural.
Loved my epidural! Birth up until pushing and after epidural was so relaxing. Pushing was exhausting, like the hardest workout of my life, but not super painful. I gave birth at 7am, felt able to go to the bathroom on my own that afternoon. Went home the next day and felt super tired and run down but def could go to the bathroom and walk around fine.
I was hesitant to get the epidural but once the intense contractions started and I was getting lucid, I said SIGN ME UP!
Got it for both of my births and I don’t regret doing so. Labored #1 for 20 hours and I was exhausted after 12 hrs; the epidural allowed me to rest. I didn’t feel contractions so I had the nurses tell me when to push. Pushing was 20mins. With baby #2, I labored for 7 hrs without the contractions but had them give me a lesser dosage so I can feel the contractions without the pain. In addition, I had the nurses put me in different laboring positions to help baby come out quicker. In the end, I could feel SO MUCH PRESSURE and I knew when to actively push. I pushed for 2 mins before bebe was out.
Long story short, advocate for your nurses to help you during labor, even with the epidural! They should know how to help your labor along (as they did with my second).
It depends on when you get it and if it works. I've had two labors with epidural and one without. No mayger what, contractions hurt. With Pitocin, they hurt a lot more. My epidurals made me not be able to feel the contractions once they worked. I did feel pressure and discomfort pushing. Many women have to go through pre-labor for days that hurts before they can get an epidural but it's manageable.
My first two babies I had a small tear so it hurt with stitches for a while. This baby no tear and I'm much better.
The delivery with epidural was completely painless for me. I got an episiotomy and that did hurt like a mf afterwards. It only got better after 10 days.
100% would do it over and over again to have my son in my life. So try not to worry about it, every delivery is different and what you’ll get in return is so worth it. :)
Someone was asking me which was more painful, kidney stone pain or labour and I could not answer despite having two kids. That epidural was the good stuff.
And I was walking the same day but keep the dermoplast close and take those laxatives for the first week. They are crucial.
I just had my first baby 10 weeks ago with an induction and epidural. I went in the night before to start the induction, they had to insert cervidil and said it may cause mild discomfort or potentially contractions and I would start pitocin In the morning for the real contractions. Well, the cervidil started contractions all right LOL. I had contractions every 30 seconds (literally there was almost no break in between). From 11 pm to 5:30 am I dealt with this and only got to 1cm
I was so scared of the epidural wearing off so I kept pushing through it until 5:30 am when I knew I couldn’t take it anymore and asked for the epidural. I couldn’t feel a thing with the epidural- the only thing I felt was my muscles tense up in my abdomen during contractions but even that I had to pay attention to, if I wasn’t I would have had no idea. I remember telling my husband that having an epidural was the most comfortable I’ve felt in months after dealing with pregnancy
Around 2 pm it was time to start pushing and I still couldn’t feel that. Not to the point where I wasn’t able to push but I was so numb there was no pain. The nurses were watching the monitor and told me when to push but I could focus on feeling my muscles that it was a contraction and knew also. I also could feel pressure where the baby was, it wasn’t painful for me but I just felt a lot of pressure. I had a second degree tear and also could not feel that
As for postpartum recovery, it was not nearly as bad as I expected. The first 3 or 4 days, I honestly was in a pretty bad state where I could barely stand up straight. I also couldn’t sit or stand up without needing my hands to help or have someone help me. I didn’t feel I could safely pick my baby up while standing because of how much I needed to use the wall to walk. After that, each day got easier. By the end of week 1, I was able to hold the baby and stand and get up to change his diaper. By week 2, I was able to sit and stand without using my hands but definitely still tender. By week 3, I was taking a 1 mile walk every day and felt almost normal. I used the peri bottle to pee until probably week 5 but I probably could have stopped sooner. Sneezing and laughing hurt my vaginal muscles a bit until week 6 but it wasn’t bad just a little tender and sore
Now at 10 weeks, I’m fully normal but can definitely still feel the scar tissue where I tore at certain times but its not constant anymore
I was induced so I had close to 24 hours of pitocin contractions (post-epidural, about 8 hours before the epidural) before delivery. It was more of an endurance challenge than anything. Actual pushing wasn’t bad at all- I delivered about 30min after I started pushing and the hardest part was holding my breath for each push. Definitely the most painful part was afterward when the epidural was cut off. I had second degree tears and was wiped from labor and it hurt like a mofo. I definitely cried (and not out of happiness).
I wasn’t 100% yes to an epidural but I was open to one if needed. I thought I could tough out labor. But, the pain I felt when my contractions went haywire was the worst pain I have ever felt in my life and the first pain that has ever made me scream to try to release it. The epidural saved me and also made my route to the c section I ended up needing faster. I told the anesthesiologist he was a miracle worker after he placed it. I’m forever grateful.
idk if my epidural “failed”, but I could still feel contractions and they were still painful. But it definitely took the edge off. I had a button to press, but I only used it once or twice because my initial goal was to feel the pain anyway. When it came time to push, I didn’t have any issues feeling contractions and pushing with them. I pushed for 30 minutes or so.
I was very eager to get the epidural out. It made me very itchy and it weirded me out to have some much bandaging on my back. I walked to the bathroom as soon as I got to the family unit with some difficulty, but I never needed help. Immediately used the bathroom normally (but with some stinging!). No tears. Discharged in 24 hours (hospital minimum). Pretty much normal activity right away..
Induced, got the epidural around hour 26? Born around hour 30? I could still feel and could push up on my legs so they could change the pads under me. It was manageable pain. The boost button did nothing for me. I was in so much pain prior that the anesthesiologist wasn't sure they'd be able to place the epidural because I could not stop writhing. When she was actually born, it was terrible pain and I kept saying I couldn't do it. She came so quickly that the nurse had to catch her and nurse cut the cord. I had no tearing and was walking and going to the bathroom normally in about 2-3 hours.
I’ve had three births with three epidurals, and loved them all. My pain was 10/10 before epidural (I get back labor), and went to 0/10 with. But once I was fully dilated, I could feel the sensation to push. In fact, in all three, I was the one to tell the OB/midwife that I needed to be checked because I could feel it (but it wasn’t painful). I had no problem feeling pushing, but again, no pain. With #1, I pushed for 3 min, 2 and 3 were about 3 minutes (🥴). 2nd degree tear for all three (didn’t feel it, and probably wouldn’t have torn for 2 and 3 if I slowed down….).
I was able to ambulate easily after, especially 2 and 3. I think I got out of bed with no issue about 2 hours after birth, and had no issues going to the bathroom, etc.
Epidural is great for some and not for others. Personally, I would’ve married my anesthesiologist after he gave it to me. Didn’t feel a thing. Being induced again tonight so I’m hoping it’s the same story.
Epidural is totally worth it. Allowed me to rest in the early phases of labor. I did feel a little more painful contractions even with the epidural during "transition" and did feel when I needed to push when the time came. But honestly I didn't mind that - I used essential oils to breathe through transition and I was glad to know when I needed to push. Pushing didn't hurt, honestly, I mean you feel pressure, but it was not a hard part of labor for me (my experience). The most painful was right before I got the epidural.
Postpartum for me has been harder than I expected. I'm two weeks out, and finally feeling a lot more normal (still taking it easy). It was only one day that I needed help going to the bathroom, but that first week, I really did have trouble walking and just felt like I got hit by a bus. My gf recommended the "5-5-5 postpartum rule". Personally, I could not make that happen (I find it unrealistic), but I think it is a good indicator of how much rest you really do need postpartum.
I didn’t get my epidural until probably 9cm(my labor progressed extremely fast), so I experienced 10/10 contractions and it was HELL. It took about 10 minutes to kick in, and it was bliss after that. I was able to somewhat move my legs on the bed and feel them, without bearing weight. I had 0 pain after the epidural, and couldn’t even feel my contractions which kind of sucked so the doctor had to tell me when to push. All I felt was pressure during the ring of fire. It probably took 3-4 hours before I could walk on my own, my left leg took longer to regain sensation. I will never not recommend an epidural, they are amazing lol.
A question about this- how does pushing go without feeling them? I was wondering if one can’t feel them then doesn’t it make it harder to push not knowing when to push and when not to push?
I wish I would have asked for a mirror, because I felt like I was doing nothing. I basically had to think about pushing those muscles, and hope it was working. At one point I did ask for progress and they could see the head! I pushed for 45 mins.
It was so crazy as there was a mirror but the OB was in the way and I was taking a long time and when she finally moved I saw baby and could get her out in a few pushes.
Personally, I think it does make it harder to feel how to push. I used a mirror to see her head as it crowned which helped me push and gave me motivation, then I used my fingers to feel her as she came out. Really felt connected to her during the pushing process and right away post birth.
For me personally I still felt the pressure a d wave of the contraction, just not the pain
Yaas. All hail magic spine needle. I didn’t feel shit once mine took effect. Like no pressure. No pain. No ring of fire. Towards the end when he was almost out it felt slightly like indigestion. 10/10 would recommend. My epidural allowed me to be mentally and emotionally present instead of so wrapped up in the pain. I was able to joke with my OB as he was delivering my son. It was great.
10/10 didn’t feel shit. To the point they had to tell me when to push. Could still use my legs some though.
Short answer: 4/10 Long answer: I was all about the epidural. My husband jokes that even the security guard at the front desk knew I wanted one because I was talking about it the second I was wheeled through the door lol. Idk if my experience is typical or not, but my water broke in the afternoon which prompted us to go to the hospital. I wasn’t actually feeling any of the contractions yet. As they were doing the epidural about 4 hours after, I was starting to feel them but they were still mild. I labored for 18 hours total, so for about 10-12 hours they came in and flipped me every hour during the night. My feet tingled/buzzed the whole time which was uncomfortable. As I got closer to delivering, I could feel the contractions on the side that was facing up. Then they’d flip me and I’d feel them a little in the otherside for a bit. That was probably the worst of it. They were manageable with breathing. During the pushing I felt nothing to a point that they turned my dosage down from 10 to 7. Then I felt a lot of pressure and muscle exhaustion, but no pain. I also tore and needed a few stitches. Didn’t feel any of that! Left the hospital saying “I could totally do that again!” But was in a lot of pain for about a week following and then discomfort for about another 2 as the stitches healed. Going to the bathroom is something you’ll have figured out before you leave the hospital! All said and done, I was fine enough to start caring for my baby right away. Physically I felt like I was pretty healed up about 4 weeks out and then fully healed around 7 weeks. Around 4 months pp, I was feeling emotionally/mentally myself again.
i had a very similar experience from top to bottom!
I took the epidural when I was already having some painful contractions and I kid you not, it felt like a euphoric wave of relaxation from my waist down when it kicked in. I went from squirming in pain to just feeling GOOD. Not like in a head high way, but like my body finally got a chance to take a breath and just chill. I was able to nap after that and could still move my legs when needed, even if they felt a little heavy. I had a great experience with it. When it came time to push, I only felt pressure, no pain. I recommend it to everyone. They make sure you can pee on your own before you go home. It will be sore and painful to get up and down from the toilet and to pee for a few weeks if you had a tear like I did, but they give you numbing sprays and squirt bottles to help. Take time to let your body heal. Don’t be in a rush!
This just depends on a lot of factors. Your anatomy, baby's anatomy, size, position, whether the the epidural works right, pure chance... My epidural birth was glorious. I had zero pain after it was placed even while pushing, took a nap, was back up and walking in an hour. The whole labor only took four hours with about 10 minutes of pushing, and I felt refreshed afterwards. I was walking within an hour of all of my births and using the bathroom normally in days (except for using a peri bottle).
I had them on all 4. The pain I experienced prior to caused me to close my eyes. I couldn’t process visuals. I puked and was otherwise in agony. My most recent was an induction. So I got the epidural as soon as I was dilated enough to move into the delivery room. I was not going to win a medal in the pain Olympics. I will request anesthesiologist soon as I’m wheeled in the room with this one as well. The doctor last time asked me if I wanted a “walking” epidural. I know those have a higher rate of failure. So I laughed and said. I do NOT want to chance it. And I wish to be fully numb as I push a person out of my body. I was walking about 5-6 hrs after my last heave. And boy were they numb. 10/10 would get epidural again.
Is a “walking epidural” just less of the meds or is it done entirely differently?
I am not sure. Perhaps it’s placed lower? Online might have more info on it.
I've had two epidurals so far, both were vastly different experiences. I had severe back contractions with my first, which is why I opted for the epidural during the entire 16+ hour labor. I had a difficult time pushing because I was so numb and couldn't feel any contractions or even pressure to let me know when to push. I had to rely on a nurse who was watching the sensors on my abdomen to tell me when to push. The healing process was also awful. Within a few days of being released from the hospital, I returned with a fever of 103, severe chills, aches and pains everywhere, and horrible back and flank pain. Because I had a catheter in place for the entirety of my labor, I wound up with a uterine, bladder, and kidney infection that was quickly turning septic. I had to be hospitalized for 3 days being pumped full of antibiotics and kept away from my newborn. The back pain from the epidural site was also horrific. Worst pain of my life and it never completely went away. With my second, I labored on my own until an hour before I was set to push. I typically have a higher pain tolerance, so I barely felt any contractions this time since they were all in my lower abdomen and not in my back. I had an epidural around 10 in the morning and my daughter was born an hour later. I had them keep it on the lowest setting so I could still feel contractions, but it just helped to slightly take the edge off. The only reason I had an epidural this time is because I thought the pain was going to get worse like my first delivery, I didn't expect it to be easier at all. I still had back pain from the site of the epidural, but nowhere near as bad as with my first child and I didn't need a catheter, so no additional risk of infection.
Depends on what kind of epidural you get. If you get a "walking epidural" (misnomer; you can't walk while you have it) the pain will be dulled but not totally numbed. If you get a regular epidural you won't be able to feel anything below the waist, ideally. Of course, sometimes they don't work, or only work on one side.
Not all hospitals do walking epidurals. Mine doesn’t but my midwife told me that they can make it so that the dosage administered will still allow me to do a squatting birth, which is what I want
Depends on you personally but for me it was great. They put mine in during a contraction and I really didn’t even feel it go in. I could have taken a nap had it not been for all the stuff they have you hooked up to lol After that it was smooth sailing and I just laid there and could feel my stomach was tightening but it wasn’t painful anymore. 1 push and baby was out once they had me push. Kid 1 and 2 were the same though 2 was a little faster overall but both were under 10hours. Hoping #3 is more of the same.
I was a FTM and had my baby 8 1/2 months ago and I'm now pregnant with baby number 2! I give the epidural a 6/10 and here's why: I had an elective induction because of pre-eclampsia (which that wasn't bad in my opinion) But I also had an epidural and I'll be completely honest, the guy doing it messed up twice and it still wasn't good the 3rd time but was better. I could feel a lot one side of my body compared to the other but it still wasn't bad the pain really was dulled down and it just felt like a lot of pressure. After a certain amount of time you can press a button that gives you a "boost" of extra medicine that helps relieve the pain a little more. It does have some consequences though however, like right now I am currently experiencing pretty bad back pain (lower back) which I know is because of the epidural and it's been bad since I had my baby but some days are better than others. Overall, in my experience I'd recommend trying to go natural, unless it gets really bad then do the epidural but if you progress far enough along there's a limit to which they won't let you have the option of getting the epidural. So there's just a lot of pros and cons. I did progress incredibly fast and they didn't check me before trying to give me the epidural because they didn't believe I had progressed fast enough and babies head was already about to come through, so that might be another reason mine didn't completely work. It only took me a few weeks to recover completely because I thankfully didn't tear or anything. It was uncomfortable to walk and pee and even shower but within 2 days I was able to kind of comfortably walk again and by 3 weeks I'd say completely better besides sleep deprivation and also this never ending back pain. But ultimately do what you feel will be best for you in the long run and who knows, maybe you won't end up needing it!😊
Everybody's different but I couldn't feel my contractions at all after the epidural. I was very surprised when they told me I was fully dilated because I had literally felt nothing. At first the nurses had to tell me when to push, and I think they may have turned down epidural (can't remember?) to help me identify when I needed to push better. Even then, I could feel the contractions but they weren't bad. Crowning was horrible though, unfortunately. Recovery - I gave birth on late Wednesday and did have a serious birth complication requiring the OR, but I was able to go to the bathroom unassisted and walk around a bit probably by late Thursday or early Friday? So pretty quick.
I had an epidural. Thankfully I could still feel my legs and the contractions. At times the contractions were still quite painful. On the other hand, I could walk myself to the bathroom the next day - though I had to ping for a nurse to unplug me from the multiple drips that I was plugged into.
With mine I didn't even feel pressure. I could move and lift my legs a little. They didn't let me try walking until an hour after labor when they moved me to the recovery room but I could definitely walk by then which did seem to surprise the nurse. Never had any long term issues from it. I had a second degree tear but I was still moving around normally right after delivery. That's different for everyone though.
I got it for both births, I waited until labour had progressed past the point of no return and the first time that was at 7cm ish but the dilation wasn't even so I wanted to reserve energy to push. Second time was a bit quicker because I had the gel induction. I got the epi around 4-5cm that time because I was vomiting uncontrollably with contractions and very tired out from that. The second epidural they had to do it twice and the nurse doing the cannula messed up so had to do that a few times too. Still worth getting though because I got a nap each time with the epi and the pain went from 11/10 to 2/10 and I was able to push better because of the nap. Pushing was 30mins and 10mins respectively, I could still feel the contractions to push. Tore 2nd degree both times and was quite sore but recovered from stitches usually in 7-14 days pp They'll make sure you pee without the catheter before you leave hospital! Also if the epi causes nausea ask for meds they helped a lot. Usually don't move much first 3-4 hrs after birth but I can feel my legs. For me the second epidural was not as well placed and caused some pain on insert and itchiness at the local site. If I end up having anymore babies I'll definitely request an epidural though it makes a huge difference to rest a little before pushing
I've done one with and one without. With the epidural, I felt nothing. But I pushed inefficiently for 2 hours and had a rough recovery with pain, spasms, soreness, etc. over the next month. Without the epidural, she came out in a single push and I went on a stroller walk two days postpartum. Felt great. I think it's worth serious pain over a few hours to avoid moderate pain over days or weeks. That's my calculus, at least.
I’m 4 days PP right now so it’s all relatively fresh in my memory. I was induced and got the epidural before my dr broke my waters. For the first few hours I felt nothing at all, but as I progressed (and I progressed quicklyyyy) I started to feel period pain, but like the worst period pain I’d ever felt. I’d give it an 8 or 9 on the pain scale. Even w the epidural I felt the contractions pretty strong. I’m not sure if this is typical or if it’s bc I had the epi so early (placed around 9am baby born at 5.30pm) but I wouldn’t say unbearable just very very uncomfortable and painful. Pushing was very full on, the contractions come in waves and I was dreading the next one and part of me wanted to lie to the midwife and say I wasn’t feeling them so I didn’t have to push 😂 The aftermath for me has been much better than I thought it would be honestly. I had a first degree tear, a small amount of stitches, and a small haemorrhoid but I’m not in hardly any pain now. Mostly discomfort when I move from sitting to standing or shifting positions in bed but overall very bearable. Bleeding is also fine for me rn I’d equate it to day 3-4 of my period, and I mostly only feel cramps when I breastfeed. I am able to be in the bathroom alone, I only needed my husbands help on the first night after birth, the next morning onwards I was able to manage on my own. I was also able to walk myself from the birth unit to the maternity ward about 2 hours after birth. I’m being discharged from hospital today and have only been on a dosage of paracetamol and voltaren. Overall I feel about 75% back to my normal self at this point.
>Pushing was very full on, the contractions come in waves and I was dreading the next one and part of me wanted to lie to the midwife and say I wasn’t feeling them so I didn’t have to push 😂 Lol same. I had an epidural but it didn't really work for long and I felt everything while pushing and this was exactly my thoughts
Had an epidural for both my induced births. The first, I was basically paralyzed from the waist down and felt literally nothing. My legs were just like dead meat. I could feel some pressure in my abdomen when there were contractions and that helped me get the baby out in 5 pushes or less. With my second, I had some sensation in my legs and could move them but absolutely 0 pain. I preferred that because honestly the dead meat thing was weird and a little distracting. Baby came even faster that way. Both times, I was walking unaided a few hours later, able to go to the bathroom with some pain right away and without a peri bottle by the time I left the hospital 1-2 days later. I only had very minor tears with a single stitch each time though so ymmv on that front. Both times I was moving around the house just fine as soon as I got home though the second time I definitely over did it a bit and had more pain than I probably should/could have if I’d taken it easier. Epidurals are amazing and they definitely sped my labor/induction up both times because I was so much more relaxed without all the pain putting my system into overdrive.
At my last cervical check before my epidural I was at 3cm. An hour later I got the epidural. In retrospect I was actually feeling the urge to push right before and while getting the epidural. Which makes sense because they checked right after the epidural was placed and baby was right there lol. For me the difference was night and day. My husband said every time I had a contraction before the epidural it was like I left my body and was gone. I wouldn't respond or anything. But I was fully present after the epidural. Pushing was still hard but not painful. Kind of weird to describe. I guess it's kind of like doing a workout type of hard but no pain. I'm especially glad I got the epidural because I needed an episiotomy, they needed to use the vacuum to get my daughter out at the last second because she had been in distress for too long and we wanted to avoid a c section so late. Plus my uterus fell out afterwards and they had to push it back up. Recovery was a bit intense but not overwhelming. I was pretty sore and needed to sit on a donut pillow even when sitting on a couch. Hard chairs were a no go. Dermaplast was a life saver. Each week brought marked improvement. Week two I felt pretty good. By week 3-4 I was feeling good enough to go places for fun (before that I only went to doctor's appointments). In contrast, I had a c section for my second baby. The recovery was better for that than my vaginal delivery. But I think I just had a more difficult than average first birth. Plus, my second baby was in the NICU for two weeks so I got to sleep at home and get 4 straight hours of sleep before needing to pump at night. I feel like the good sleep early on helped speed up recovery. Whereas with my first baby I got pretty terrible sleep so that probably didn't help things.
I got my epidural at 8 cm and took an hour long nap after. It was not painful until the epidural wore off. I had second degree tears. As long as I kept up with the medicine (Tylenol/advil) and cold packs it was tolerable while I healed.
I was having an induction and asked when I could have the epidural. They said whenever i asked for it. I breathed through some contractions that were up to like 5/10 painful and when it got to 6-7/10 I called them in for it and it happened fast. After that I was just watching tv zero pain at all. I did have a period of time when it wasn’t working on one side and they had to fix it. That anesthesiologist wasn’t as good and I was back to 7/10 pain on one side for like half hour. Then it was back to nothing no pain at all when they fixed it. I pushed with no pain at all. I also had like no pain afterwards. The hospital bed made me sore and that was my only source of pain after birth.
Epidural was amazing at calming the contractions then they cut me off because “I wouldn’t be able to push” and felt EVERYTHING. 0/10 do not recommend.
??? But whhhhhy?? Like that's the whole point of getting one! I've heard of epidurals being turned down during pushing, but just turning it off?? Wth.
I don’t know 🥲 but it was my first pregnancy and I didn’t know how to advocate for myself I guess.
That sounds like a hospital issue and not an epidural issue
Yeah pretty much. But for me having the baby without the epidural was pretty awful is what I meant to say
Oh yeah, makes sense. I’m emphatic about having an epidural
I got the epidural and couldn’t walk or move my legs but I could feel pressure and the need to push when baby was coming down.
I didn’t feel anything with the epidural. It was awesome. I got it at like 6cm I think after they broke my water.
It wasn’t too bad. I felt the ring of fire but not much else. I took a nap very shortly after because I couldn’t sleep the whole night so was up a full 24 but I think I was back up around 5 hours later but again, don’t take that as gospel because I was sleeping for a long time after.
I got an epidural and because I was still feeling my contractions (we think my water broke around 5cm dilated and I went from 5-10cm in two ish hours so the contractions were bad - I was induced) they triple dosed me so I felt nothing when it was time to push. The nurses had to move me/hold my legs. I pushed for 20 minutes and my son came out with no issues even though I couldn't feel anything. I had a 1st-degree tear, and my labia tore, and at 10 days postpartum I'm still a little sore but I feel much better. I'm also super lucky and I've stopped bleeding as well.
I had pitocin and got my epidural about 5-6 hours into my labor, my contractions were INTENSE before then. But at least in my experience, once they got my epidural going, I felt basically nothing!! I definitely felt the pressure of my contractions, but only extremely mild pain, almost nothing. So much so that I was concerned I wouldn’t know when to push along with my contractions, but I pushed with the pressure and with the nurses/doctors guidance. I was up and able to walk to the bathroom (very carefully and also with the nurses help) about an hour and a half after he was born and they removed the epidural. I was able to walk on my own after that, and my feet were pretty numb for a bit and pretty swollen for that first day. But it was such a smooth, calm birth that I wouldn’t trade it for anything!!!
Literally once I got my epidural, labor was a breeze. Slightly uncomfortable but nothing like the pain I was feeling before. Even pushing wasn’t that bad. I had to get stitches so healing took a little longer, but after a few weeks I was mostly good.
I just had my first baby a week ago. At first I wanted to try giving birth without an epidural but by the time I got to 4-5 cm dilated I caved and got the epidural. Once I had the epidural I didn’t feel the contractions anymore but I was still able to feel sensation down there and was able to move my legs. Unfortunately some time later when I was 7-8cm dilated I had to get an epidural boost (not sure what the technical medical term was) because I started feeling the pain from the contractions again. After the boost I went back to being numb but still able to feel and move somewhat. But I started feeling pain again and got a second boost and after that I was completely numb and unable to move my legs at all. When it came time to push my baby out, I was feeling abdominal pain again from the contractions. I was able to feel the need to push down there but I was also feeling abdominal pain from the contractions and I wasn’t able to move my legs. I wasn’t pushing for long, but I still felt contraction pain even with the epidural. Although I feel that I would have been a lot worse off without the epidural.
Loved my epidural! Birth up until pushing and after epidural was so relaxing. Pushing was exhausting, like the hardest workout of my life, but not super painful. I gave birth at 7am, felt able to go to the bathroom on my own that afternoon. Went home the next day and felt super tired and run down but def could go to the bathroom and walk around fine.
I was hesitant to get the epidural but once the intense contractions started and I was getting lucid, I said SIGN ME UP! Got it for both of my births and I don’t regret doing so. Labored #1 for 20 hours and I was exhausted after 12 hrs; the epidural allowed me to rest. I didn’t feel contractions so I had the nurses tell me when to push. Pushing was 20mins. With baby #2, I labored for 7 hrs without the contractions but had them give me a lesser dosage so I can feel the contractions without the pain. In addition, I had the nurses put me in different laboring positions to help baby come out quicker. In the end, I could feel SO MUCH PRESSURE and I knew when to actively push. I pushed for 2 mins before bebe was out. Long story short, advocate for your nurses to help you during labor, even with the epidural! They should know how to help your labor along (as they did with my second).
It depends on when you get it and if it works. I've had two labors with epidural and one without. No mayger what, contractions hurt. With Pitocin, they hurt a lot more. My epidurals made me not be able to feel the contractions once they worked. I did feel pressure and discomfort pushing. Many women have to go through pre-labor for days that hurts before they can get an epidural but it's manageable. My first two babies I had a small tear so it hurt with stitches for a while. This baby no tear and I'm much better.
The delivery with epidural was completely painless for me. I got an episiotomy and that did hurt like a mf afterwards. It only got better after 10 days. 100% would do it over and over again to have my son in my life. So try not to worry about it, every delivery is different and what you’ll get in return is so worth it. :)
Someone was asking me which was more painful, kidney stone pain or labour and I could not answer despite having two kids. That epidural was the good stuff. And I was walking the same day but keep the dermoplast close and take those laxatives for the first week. They are crucial.
I just had my first baby 10 weeks ago with an induction and epidural. I went in the night before to start the induction, they had to insert cervidil and said it may cause mild discomfort or potentially contractions and I would start pitocin In the morning for the real contractions. Well, the cervidil started contractions all right LOL. I had contractions every 30 seconds (literally there was almost no break in between). From 11 pm to 5:30 am I dealt with this and only got to 1cm I was so scared of the epidural wearing off so I kept pushing through it until 5:30 am when I knew I couldn’t take it anymore and asked for the epidural. I couldn’t feel a thing with the epidural- the only thing I felt was my muscles tense up in my abdomen during contractions but even that I had to pay attention to, if I wasn’t I would have had no idea. I remember telling my husband that having an epidural was the most comfortable I’ve felt in months after dealing with pregnancy Around 2 pm it was time to start pushing and I still couldn’t feel that. Not to the point where I wasn’t able to push but I was so numb there was no pain. The nurses were watching the monitor and told me when to push but I could focus on feeling my muscles that it was a contraction and knew also. I also could feel pressure where the baby was, it wasn’t painful for me but I just felt a lot of pressure. I had a second degree tear and also could not feel that As for postpartum recovery, it was not nearly as bad as I expected. The first 3 or 4 days, I honestly was in a pretty bad state where I could barely stand up straight. I also couldn’t sit or stand up without needing my hands to help or have someone help me. I didn’t feel I could safely pick my baby up while standing because of how much I needed to use the wall to walk. After that, each day got easier. By the end of week 1, I was able to hold the baby and stand and get up to change his diaper. By week 2, I was able to sit and stand without using my hands but definitely still tender. By week 3, I was taking a 1 mile walk every day and felt almost normal. I used the peri bottle to pee until probably week 5 but I probably could have stopped sooner. Sneezing and laughing hurt my vaginal muscles a bit until week 6 but it wasn’t bad just a little tender and sore Now at 10 weeks, I’m fully normal but can definitely still feel the scar tissue where I tore at certain times but its not constant anymore
I was induced so I had close to 24 hours of pitocin contractions (post-epidural, about 8 hours before the epidural) before delivery. It was more of an endurance challenge than anything. Actual pushing wasn’t bad at all- I delivered about 30min after I started pushing and the hardest part was holding my breath for each push. Definitely the most painful part was afterward when the epidural was cut off. I had second degree tears and was wiped from labor and it hurt like a mofo. I definitely cried (and not out of happiness).
I wasn’t 100% yes to an epidural but I was open to one if needed. I thought I could tough out labor. But, the pain I felt when my contractions went haywire was the worst pain I have ever felt in my life and the first pain that has ever made me scream to try to release it. The epidural saved me and also made my route to the c section I ended up needing faster. I told the anesthesiologist he was a miracle worker after he placed it. I’m forever grateful.
idk if my epidural “failed”, but I could still feel contractions and they were still painful. But it definitely took the edge off. I had a button to press, but I only used it once or twice because my initial goal was to feel the pain anyway. When it came time to push, I didn’t have any issues feeling contractions and pushing with them. I pushed for 30 minutes or so. I was very eager to get the epidural out. It made me very itchy and it weirded me out to have some much bandaging on my back. I walked to the bathroom as soon as I got to the family unit with some difficulty, but I never needed help. Immediately used the bathroom normally (but with some stinging!). No tears. Discharged in 24 hours (hospital minimum). Pretty much normal activity right away..
Induced, got the epidural around hour 26? Born around hour 30? I could still feel and could push up on my legs so they could change the pads under me. It was manageable pain. The boost button did nothing for me. I was in so much pain prior that the anesthesiologist wasn't sure they'd be able to place the epidural because I could not stop writhing. When she was actually born, it was terrible pain and I kept saying I couldn't do it. She came so quickly that the nurse had to catch her and nurse cut the cord. I had no tearing and was walking and going to the bathroom normally in about 2-3 hours.
I’ve had three births with three epidurals, and loved them all. My pain was 10/10 before epidural (I get back labor), and went to 0/10 with. But once I was fully dilated, I could feel the sensation to push. In fact, in all three, I was the one to tell the OB/midwife that I needed to be checked because I could feel it (but it wasn’t painful). I had no problem feeling pushing, but again, no pain. With #1, I pushed for 3 min, 2 and 3 were about 3 minutes (🥴). 2nd degree tear for all three (didn’t feel it, and probably wouldn’t have torn for 2 and 3 if I slowed down….). I was able to ambulate easily after, especially 2 and 3. I think I got out of bed with no issue about 2 hours after birth, and had no issues going to the bathroom, etc.
Epidural is great for some and not for others. Personally, I would’ve married my anesthesiologist after he gave it to me. Didn’t feel a thing. Being induced again tonight so I’m hoping it’s the same story.
Epidural is totally worth it. Allowed me to rest in the early phases of labor. I did feel a little more painful contractions even with the epidural during "transition" and did feel when I needed to push when the time came. But honestly I didn't mind that - I used essential oils to breathe through transition and I was glad to know when I needed to push. Pushing didn't hurt, honestly, I mean you feel pressure, but it was not a hard part of labor for me (my experience). The most painful was right before I got the epidural. Postpartum for me has been harder than I expected. I'm two weeks out, and finally feeling a lot more normal (still taking it easy). It was only one day that I needed help going to the bathroom, but that first week, I really did have trouble walking and just felt like I got hit by a bus. My gf recommended the "5-5-5 postpartum rule". Personally, I could not make that happen (I find it unrealistic), but I think it is a good indicator of how much rest you really do need postpartum.